There’s a new No. 2 in the New York Yankees’ rotation behind Gerrit Cole. A familiar face is getting a fresh start leading the Cincinnati Reds. Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani and Co. already have their title defense underway. There’s plenty to see as baseball returns Wednesday for most MLB clubs, with pitchers and catchers officially reporting at sites across Arizona and Florida. The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers got an early spring training start ahead of their season-opening series in Tokyo, and a few clubs don’t get going until Thursday. But for most, Wednesday marks the start of a new season. That includes the Yankees, who are welcoming back Cole, the 2023 Cy Young Award winner, after he chose to remain with the Yankees rather than opt out of his contract. He’ll be joined in the rotation by Max Fried, a key addition as they try to return to the World Series.
PHOENIX (AP) — Kevin Durant became the eighth player in NBA history to score 30,000 points, hitting the mark against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night with a free throw late in the third quarter. The 36-year-old Phoenix Suns forward, who recently was voted to his 15th All-Star team, joins LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki and Wilt Chamberlain in the 30,000-point club. Julius Erving also hit the mark when combining his points scored in the NBA and ABA. “It’s a true honor to be in the same category as those players who helped shape the game and pushed the game forward,” Durant said. “That’s always been my goal is to get the most out of myself every day, get the most out of my career. To be mentioned with those guys, I must be doing something right.” Durant is a four-time NBA scoring champion and remains one of the league’s elite shot makers in his 17th NBA season. He’s averaging about 27 points per game while shooting 52% from the field.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Liam McNeeley scored a season-high 38 points and had 10 rebounds, and UConn overcame a 14-point deficit late in the first half to end No. 24 Creighton’s nine-game winning streak with a 70-66 victory Tuesday night. Alex Karaban’s floater in the lane broke a 65-all tie with 1:44 left, and the Huskies (17-7, 9-4 Big East) won for the first time in five trips to Omaha since rejoining the Big East in 2020. Creighton (18-7, 11-3), which re-entered the AP Top 25 this week for the first time since late November, shot just 30% in the second half while losing for the first time since Jan. 3. McNeeley carried the Huskies all night in his second game back from an ankle injury that sidelined him for eight games. The freshman standout had his fourth double-double, and he scored 23 points and made four of his season-high five 3s after halftime.
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Malik Renea scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half to help Indiana beat No. 11 Michigan State 71-67 Tuesday night, leaving Tom Izzo on the brink of breaking Bob Knight’s Big Ten wins record. The Hoosiers (15-10, 6-8 Big Ten) had lost five straight under coach Mike Woodson, who is stepping down after the season. The Spartans (19-5, 10-3) lost for the third time in four games, leaving Izzo with 353 Big Ten wins that match the mark Knight set at Indiana while winning three NCAA titles. Michigan State’s Jaden Akins scored 14 points and Jase Richardson had 13. Myles Rice had 10 points, including two free throws with 30 seconds left to put the Hoosiers ahead by four points. Indiana’s Oumar Ballo scored 14 points and Luke Goode had 10.
TUESDAY SCORES
NCAA MEN TOP 25
No. 1 Auburn 80, Vanderbilt 68
No. 2 Alabama 103, Texas 80
No. 3 Florida 81, No. 22 Mississippi State 68
No. 15 Kentucky 75, No. 5 Tennessee 64
No. Michigan 75, No. 7 Purdue 73
No. 8 Texas A&M 69, Georgia 53
No. 10 Iowa State 77, UCF 65
Indiana 71, No. 11 Michigan State 67
Kansas State 73, No. 13 Arizona 70
No. 17 Kansas 71, Colorado 59
No. 18 Marquette 68, DePaul 58
UConn 70, No. 24 Creighton 66